Heaven Nor Hell
by Risika Kiisu Seto
Summary: Cross-posted to AO3. Follows Harry's journey as he goes from being the Gryffindor Golden Boy to becoming the Dark Lord's equal. Each chapter is a different POV. Dumbles bashing, Ron bashing, mentions of child abuse, OOC characters, may have some light slash. Inspired by a song of the same title.
1. The Angel

**Written** Dec. 3, 2015

 **Disclaimer** : I own neither Harry Potter nor Heaven Nor Hell. Harry Potter and related characters belong to J. K. Rowling and Heaven Nor Hell belongs to the band Volbeat.

 **Warnings** : Dumbledore bashing, slight Ron bashing, AU, Dark Harry, Grey or Dark Hermione, mentions of child abuse, OOC characters, canon character death, may have some light slash.

 _The cliche "Harry-turns-Dark-and-Dumbles-is-not-as-good-as-he'd-like-others-to-think" story. Heavily inspired by Volbeat's song Heaven Nor Hell. I'm not going to go over everything in the books, just the relevant stuff._

 _I'm sure that the characters are going to be at least a little bit OoC, and that the reactions are probably unrealistic. The point is this is fanfiction, and I had fun writing it. I decided to post it so you could read it, in the hopes that someone would find it as interesting a story as I did._

 _I'm going to be going to at least the end of the 6th book. Maybe a bit farther. There are currently 4 chapters, with another two planned. If you have any thoughts or ideas, please feel free to share. I may be able to incorporate the ideas._

 _For more information on this fic, please see my profile on FFN._

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The Angel

 _Heaven don't fall on earth  
_ _What you behold is no longer a word  
_ _No longer a word_

1994, beginning of 4th year

Hermione Granger knew something was happening during the summers. Well… not for her, and not in the wizarding world. No, something was happening to her best friend (her first friend, one of her only friends), Harry Potter. She _knew_ something was wrong. The issue was getting the stubborn lion to talk.

The Gryffindor bookworm had a bit of evidence; she was rather observant, after all. And it didn't take long for the evidence to pile up and point in a rather worrying direction.

It was more like a bunch of little things. Harry would pick at his plate more than he would actually eat anything, and would often wait until everyone else had started eating before he would get any food. He would jump when he heard a loud noise, like a slamming door, or someone dropping a book, and he would flinch if someone started shouting or someone moved too fast around him. He would actively avoid touch and tense up if someone initiated touch. On top of all of that, he was too small. Honestly, Harry could be mistaken for a first or second year, instead of the fourth year he was.

Hermione had concluded sometime in the last few years that Harry's home life wasn't good. She wanted to talk to him about it, but trying to figure out how to do that without scaring him off was proving rather difficult. It wasn't like she was a mind healer or a muggle psychiatrist. She didn't have the training or experience to deal with anything like what she had a feeling Harry was experiencing. Books could only help so much, and there was very little in Hogwarts' library about this.

The bushy-haired teen finally pulled up some courage ( _"You're a Gryffindor, for Merlin's sake, Hermione! You can do this!"_ she had scolded herself) and pulled Harry to a secluded corner of the common room while Ron was playing a Wizards Chess tournament with their housemates. After putting up some silencing and secrecy wards so no one else could hear the two, the girl carefully worded her observations before she asked if Harry's family treated him alright. As she spoke, Hermione noticed Harry tensing as if ready to bolt. When she finally asked him, he stared at her, green eyes wide and almost…frightened.

"Please, Harry. You're one of the only friends I've ever had. I just want to know you're safe," she pleaded, holding his hands tightly in her own.

He told her he wasn't supposed to talk about it, but she swore she would only tell someone if his life was in danger because of his situation. It still took a bit of convincing the raven-haired boy, but eventually he began talking. His voice was slow and unsure, quiet. Listening to him, the Raven in Lion's skin felt her heart break. She was so used to Harry being confident and strong, and here he was, timid as a dormouse.

He had pulled his hands from hers as he began speaking, holding them together tightly in his lap. He spoke of living in a boot closet under the stairs, of endless chores and constant bullying. She heard how he thought his name was Freak until he was in primary school, and how his aunt and uncle refused to spend any more money on him than was necessary (which was why Harry wore his cousin's old clothes) and how he didn't get food if he did magic—though he didn't know what it was at the time.

Hermione knew Harry wasn't telling her everything—she could remember seeing bruises on his wrists and once on his shoulder when the collar of his shirt had slipped when on the train to Hogwarts—but she didn't press him about it. She didn't want to lose her friend because she pried too far into his home life. No, she just pulled him into a gentle, but tight hug. He let her, and they just sat there for a long time.

"You should tell one of the professors, Harry. They could do something to get you out of there," she said finally, voice soft. He shook his head, pulling out of Hermione's arms.

"I tried telling Dumbledore. I tried to get him to let me go somewhere else for the summer after First Year, but he told me the Dursley's was the safest place for me, and that I shouldn't tell stories about my family." He shrugged a bit, and Hermione felt her heart break a little more. "At least this summer was better. I told them Sirius was my godfather, but not that he was innocent. They left me alone for the most part."

"Do you want me to see if I can get my parents to stay with us next summer?" she offered. She desperately wanted to do something to help him, even if it was just making sure he could stay away from them for a little bit longer.

Despite that, Harry declined and after a few more attempts at getting him to agree, Hermione dropped it. They realized just how long the two had been talking when one of their housemates told them it was time for dinner (after Hermione took down the wards).

After that, the muggleborn didn't bring up that subject again, aside from getting her friend to eat more during meals. Silently, she made a vow to never turn Harry away. The Boy-Who-Lived hadn't gotten the love every child needed and deserved, and she felt he needed to know someone was going to be by his side, no matter what.

She kept that silent promise, even after the entire school (including Ron) turned their collective back on Harry for getting into the Tournament. Hermione stayed firmly next to the raven-haired Gryffindor, studying with him, partnering with him in classes, and just being a true friend.

Harry tried to get her to spend time with Ron so she wouldn't foul up her friendship with the youngest male Weasley. She just smiled and said, "I'm not going to leave you alone. Who knows how much trouble you could get into!" and returned to studying.

She helped him practice spells for the task, despite not knowing what the task was. When Harry found out, via Hagrid, the task involved dragons, Hermione went to the library and looked for any books that might have something to use against the giant lizards. Harry told her he had a plan, but she insisted he know how to cast some of the spells, in case his first plan didn't work.

When it came time for the task, Hermione found herself nearly sick with worry. Harry's dragon ended up breaking free and chasing after the Gryffindor as he flew around. She didn't calm down until she saw him, unburnt and whole, on the ground with the golden egg.

When Ron asked for Harry's forgiveness, the raven-haired teen was quick to give it. Hermione didn't forgive quite as easily, and decided to keep an eye on Ron. Just in case.

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 _I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter. Next one should be up...soon..ish. Please leave your thoughts through either a review or a PM._

 _Risika Kiisu_


	2. The Morning Star of a Prince

**Written** Dec. 3, 2015

 **Disclaimer** : I own neither Harry Potter nor Heaven Nor Hell. Harry Potter and related characters belong to J. K. Rowling and Heaven Nor Hell belongs to the band Volbeat.

 **Warnings** : Dumbledore bashing, slight Ron bashing, AU, Dark Harry, Grey or Dark Hermione, mentions of child abuse, OOC characters, canon character death.

 _Chapter two. I think this one is slightly longer than Hermione's chapter. I'm sure I misspelled some things, but internet is spotty and I didn't have my books with me when I wrote this up. I have finished writing chapter 6 as of this afternoon, but I'm not sure if I want to write a 7th chapter as a sort of epilogue, or if I should leave it as is. I'll let you all decide when I get there._

 _Comments and the like are always welcome. Review or PM me._

 _Thanks to desireejones99 on FFN and Dreams2shatter on AO3 for being the first reviewers! Also. You guys are awesome. 15 Kudos, 4 bookmarks, 14 follows, and 6 favorites? And so many hits on both sites. I love you all._

* * *

The Morning Star of a Prince

 _Well, I've heard that the Morning Star of a Prince  
_ _Was invoked on a Monday on Earth  
_ _I found his business card in the mud_

1995

Sirius Orion Black, escaped convict, former Marauder, grim animagus, and godfather to Harry James Potter, was absolutely _livid_. After a lot of coercing from Hermione, Harry had told the animagus about how he was treated at the Dursleys. It wasn't just their treatment of his godson that had angered Sirius so. It was the fact that Harry was placed with Lily's sister when the Potters' wills explicitly stated Harry was _not_ to go to Petunia. On top of that, Dumbledore refused to let Harry go elsewhere for the summer holidays. Sirius swore he would get back at all of them somehow, though he pretended to let it go when Harry practically begged him to leave it.

Hermione later told the prankster about her own silent vow to never abandon her friend, for which the animagus was extremely glad. At least Harry would have one person that wouldn't turn him away. The two (plus Remus) began talking about everything that happened, and were quickly becoming disillusioned with the Light Lord. The man had left his godson with Lily's sister, even though anyone who knew Lily knew Petunia despised her and anything to do with magic. On top of that, Dumbledore had left Sirius in prison—in _Azkaban_ —after the headmaster was the one who cast the Fidelius for the Potters and knew exactly who the real secret keeper was. Dumbledore could have called for a trial, being the head of the Wizengamot. There were many other little things the trio found that conflicted with the image the Light was trying to portray.

It was honestly no surprise when the convict caught Harry practicing some Grey—leaning toward Dark—spells and curses in a hidden room, warded to prevent anyone without Black blood from entering without invitation.

"I want to be able to protect myself, Padfoot," the teen had murmured when questioned. "Voldemort is so much stronger than me, and he has decades more experience. If I can throw him off by casting Grey or Dark spells, then I might have a chance."

Sirius couldn't fault the raven-haired Gryffindor, and began tutoring him. Hermione soon joined in on the tutoring sessions, keeping to her word and sticking beside Harry. Moony even helped teach the two some of the Grey magics he knew. Sirius grew up in a Dark-oriented house, so he knew many dangerous spells, hexes, and curses that would give the two students an advantage, even if it was just surprising their enemies with Dark and borderline Dark spells.

When asked if they wanted Ron to join in the sessions, the teens firmly said no.

"He's too prejudiced against the Dark to approve, even if we explain why we're learning Dark magic," Harry said. "He'd go right to Dumbledore, then we'd end up in a bad spot."

Ron joined in the sessions when the two Marauders went over Light and Light Grey spells, but nothing more. The twins, however, jumped right in after managing to sneak into the room. The two took to the Darker magics like a griffin takes to flying.

The only concern Sirius had was Harry's nightmares. He may be a child in an adult's body, but Sirius wasn't stupid. He could tell Harry wasn't getting enough sleep. The only thing he could think of to help his godson was Occulmency, but the grim animagus had never been very proficient in that area. (Actually, he'd never been proficient in any of the Mind Magicks. He wasn't able to sit still for the amount of time required to even begin meditating. The animagus meditation took him forever and a day to accomplish.) So, he raided the Black library for every text he could find on Occulmency to give to Harry.

"These should help with the nightmares," he'd told the teen. "The main focus of this branch of magic is to keep others out of your mind, but it should help. Something about organizing and clearing your mind. Never really understood it… Hermione should be able to help if you have difficulty. She's smart enough to understand those big, fancy words the books use, and explain it in simpler terms."

By the time the students left for Hogwarts, Harry had at least managed to keep the nightmares away (Sirius noticed a lack of bags under the teen's eyes, at least, so he was getting more sleep than he had been) and all four Gryffindors had at least enough spell knowledge to hold their own against lower level Death Eaters and trainee Aurors. Ron knew some, but he wasn't very willing to do the extra studying the others did.

Sirius also gave Harry a two-way mirror, so the man-child could continue teaching them, as well as being able to talk whenever Harry wanted.

He was worried when he heard a Ministry official would be teaching DADA that year. Apparently, the woman was Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic. Sirius did a bit of snooping, and found out the woman had a strong hatred for creatures and people with creature blood and strongly supported Purebloods. When he found that out, he told the teens to keep their heads down and to try not to attract attention.

When Hermione told the animagus about Harry's detentions and the marks in the back of his hands after, Sirius confronted Harry. After getting the details, he urged them to write to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It was illegal for someone to use a black quill (or a blood quill, depending on who you talk to) as a punishment.

Since that woman was apparently monitoring all mail, they didn't get the letter sent until October, during the Hogsmeade weekend. Only days after that, the _Daily Prophet_ was reporting how one Delores J. Umbridge was taken into custody after using a blood quill on students as punishment. She was quickly sacked from both the DADA position and her Ministry position.

The only downside, according to the teens, was that Snape was teaching DADA, in addition to teaching potions. Neither Harry nor Hermione could deny he wasn't a good Defense teacher, since he actually knew what he was talking about, but he was strict.

Yule came, and the Weasley's and Harry were brought to Grimmauld Place after Harry had a vision of a snake attacking Arthur Weasley. Arthur was going to recover, thankfully, but it had left everyone rather shaken. It _did_ present an opportunity to teach the twins, Harry, and Hermione (who joined the group soon after the Weasleys arrived) more spells.

Padfoot had a feeling something big was going to happen, and he wanted the teens ready. He had them training almost relentlessly. Harry's story was he was spending time with his godfather, while Hermione said she was looking through some of the rare tomes from the Black library and the twins stated they were coming up with more ideas for their store.

The rest of the year was rather quiet, though Harry had told Sirius he was getting Occulmency lessons from Snape, of all people. At least the teen was getting actual training in the subject.

It was in June that everything went tits over arse. Apparently, Harry had a vision during one of his OWLs, and took a group of students to the Ministry. Sirius found out from Snape who found out from…somewhere. The animagus wasn't really concerned about that.

Sirius went with the rest of the Order to the Ministry and ended up dueling his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, who had escaped with a bunch of other Death Eaters from Azkaban earlier in the year. Of course, the duel was all for show—the two Blacks had ended up in cells opposite each other in the prison and had become rather close (or as close as they could, when one was clinically insane and the other was essentially a man-child). It was all fun and games until they ended up in front of the Veil.

Sirius didn't notice the spell from Moody until it was too late. A simple tripping hex. But it ended up tripping him right into the Veil. In the moments before he was enveloped in the Void, he stared at Mad-Eye Moody, grey eyes accusing, before he looked at his godson. Fear-filled green eyes were the last thing he saw.

Sirius ended up with James and Lily, where they watched over Harry. Not one of them could find it in themselves to be disappointed with the path Harry had chosen, because he had _chosen_ it. It wasn't a path that was planned out for him by others.

Even when that path led to Harry joining Voldemort, the three were just happy that he was happy. They could see he would be much happier there than with Dumbledore. Besides, Hermione would stick by him.


	3. The Devil's Walking Around

**Written** Dec. 4, 2015

 **Disclaimer** : I own neither Harry Potter nor Heaven Nor Hell. Harry Potter and related characters belong to J. K. Rowling and Heaven Nor Hell belongs to the band Volbeat.

 **Warnings** : Dumbledore bashing, slight Ron bashing, AU, Dark Harry, Grey or Dark Hermione, mentions of child abuse, OOC characters, canon character death.

 _I apologize for the wait. I had meant to get this up on the 10th, but I've had a nasty headache that I've been fighting for the majority of the days since._

 _Anyway. This is a short chapter. Sorry for that. I just wanted to get into Fudge's head a bit, see what he was thinking. Next chapter will be short as well, but not quite this short. Then we get two long chapters. Well... longish. I hope to get the next chapter up tonight or tomorrow. We'll see._

* * *

The Devil's Walking Around

 _Well, I've heard  
_ _That the Devil's walking around  
_ _Sold my soul way down in the dirt  
_ _But stole it back, now forever in debt_

1996, June 27

Cornelius Oswald Fudge, Minister for Magic, was reeling. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named _had_ truly returned, just as the Potter boy said the previous year, when he appeared with the body of Cedric Diggory at the end of the third task of the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The Darkest wizard, the most feared Dark Lord the Wizarding World had seen since Salazar Slytherin himself, was once again at large. He should have done something. Cornelius should have listened to Dumbledore and his pet Gryffindor.

Instead, he had slandered the two and had fired anyone who he even suspected with working with Albus. Now that it was revealed that Potter and Dumbledore were right all along, nearly every witch and wizard was screaming for Cornelius to resign from his post. Resigning was honestly the only thing he could do, seeing as no one would willingly work with him now.

They didn't understand he was just as scared as the rest of them. The soon-to-be-former Minister had only done what he did so he didn't have to face the fear the truth would bring. The people didn't care, either. He was a Peace-time Minister. He didn't know _how_ to lead a war, and Wizarding Great Britain _would_ end up going to war. It happened last time You-Know-Who was at large. No one wanted to find out what would happen if the megalomaniac Dark Lord succeeded in taking over.

So he would peacefully resign. Cornelius could only hope no one decided he would be better off dead after everything he did since the end of the Tournament.


	4. He's on a Strike

**Written** Dec. 4, 2015

 **Disclaimer** : I own neither Harry Potter nor Heaven Nor Hell. Harry Potter and related characters belong to J. K. Rowling and Heaven Nor Hell belongs to the band Volbeat.

 **Warnings** : Dumbledore bashing, slight Ron bashing, AU, Dark Harry, Grey or Dark Hermione, mentions of child abuse, OOC characters, canon character death.

 _Hey, look! Two chapters in one day! Yay! I just got a lucky break in that Mum let me on to type and post this chapter before cleaning because she had to go lay down._

 _As I said in the previous chapter, this one's shorter than the first two, but the next one will be longer. As is the last chapter. (at least I think it's the last one. Not sure yet.) Again, the only reason for this one was because I wanted to see how Petunia would feel about Harry's sudden character change. ...She's overly fond of the word 'freakish'... ...And emphasizing words. I don't like it._

 _Reviews and questions are welcomed!_

* * *

He's on a Strike

 _Evil came down on Earth  
And it beholds more than you love  
More than you love_

1996, Summer Holidays

Petunia Dursley of Number 4, Privet Drive, was not at all what one would expect of the woman charged with caring for the Boy-Who-Lived, Harry James Potter. Petunia had no special abilities (unless one counted doting on her rather… _large_ son and turning a blind eye to said son's bullying habits a special ability). She didn't have magic—not that she would _want_ such a freakish ability. There was, in fact, absolutely nothing extraordinary or special about Petunia.

No, Petunia Dursley nee Evans would be perfectly happy hosting and attending tea parties with the other women of Privet Drive whilst gossiping about other women and being the perfect house wife to her loving husband. She would be even happier if her freakish sister's son didn't have to live with her otherwise normal, _perfect_ family.

But her nephew was required to live with them, since as long as he lived under their roof, the Dursleys would be safe from some freakish attack. (At least, that's what the letter they found with the boy when they found him on their doorstep said. Petunia didn't put much stock in it, but she didn't want to take chances.) So, the housewife tolerated the boy's presence.

This summer, though, something was… _off_ about the boy. More off than usual since the boy began going to that freakish school. Of course Petunia and Vernon knew about the boy's godfather being killed (good riddance. The world would be safer with one less crazy lunatic running around), but surely that couldn't be the cause of this rather drastic change in behavior.

The boy would be gone by dawn and would return after sundown. No one on Privet Drive (or, in fact, the rest of Little Whinging. Petunia would subtly ask during some of the larger tea parties) would see the boy at all during the day hours. It was as if the boy had simply disappeared until he returned in the evenings.

On top of that, he wouldn't even react when Vernon started telling the boy how ungrateful the little brat was, slacking on his chores. The rare days he _was_ in the house and working on chores, Petunia was… _unsettled._ There was something about him; about the way those unnervingly bright green eyes would watch her and her family. It almost reminded her of how the predator would watch its prey on those shows Dudley would watch on occasion.

It made her extremely glad the boy was unable to use magic during the summers. Somehow, Petunia knew if he was allowed to, she and her family would be in a lot of pain and suffering.

She was looking forward to when the boy would leave for the rest of the summer, more than she had been any other year. But the woman instinctively knew things would end up horribly wrong. It was in the way she felt a cold lump in her stomach that wouldn't go away; the chill that raced up her spine; the way her throat would close up without reason. It was a primal fear, not that the pampered housewife knew that. She just knew she didn't like it, and she didn't know the cause of it.

One thing she knew for certain: Petunia would be moving her family the minute the boy was not required to stay with them. She would have Vernon find a nice, unassuming, completely _normal_ neighborhood somewhere none of those freaks would find them. Even if it required moving out of the country.

She did not want anything more to do with her sister's people once they were free of the boy. She _especially_ wanted nothing to do with the boy that made her feel like a rabbit caught in the shadow of a hawk.


	5. The Angel Became the Devil

**Written** Dec. 8, 2015

 **Disclaimer** : I own neither Harry Potter nor Heaven Nor Hell. Harry Potter and related characters belong to J. K. Rowling and Heaven Nor Hell belongs to the band Volbeat.

 **Warnings** : Dumbledore bashing, slight Ron bashing, AU, Dark Harry, Grey or Dark Hermione, mentions of child abuse, OOC characters, canon character death.

 _The next chapter, already? No way!_

 _Yes way. I've got some time to kill since I can't clean because I don't know where the stuff goes and Mum's laying down._

 _Anyway. I've decided to add a few more chapters to this because of a delightful commentor on AO3. avengingwinchesterangels, I will see what I can pull up. I'm sure I can come up with something. I've already got an idea for one. However, because of this, the next chapter will take a bit longer, since it would have to go before the final chapter I've got written down, and with Christmas next week, I've got a lot to do._

 _Aside from that, thank you all who have reviewed/commented, kudos'ed, bookmarked, followed, favorited, and just decided to stop by! A total of 1145 hits between both AO3 and FFN. It's mindblowing, considering this has only been up 8 days._

 _As always, comments/reviews are welcomed. I like hearing everyone's thoughts and ideas, and LOVE questions. (Now, I'll shut up so you guys and gals can read.)_

* * *

The Angel Became the Devil

 _Holding onto his words, but baby_ _ **  
**_ _I saw an angel become the Devil_ _ **  
**_ _Still they look pretty good hand in hand_ _ **  
**_ _Well baby, I don't need any of them_ _ **  
**_ _Heaven nor hell_

1996, Summer Holidays

Lucius Abraxas Malfoy was utterly confused, though he would never admit as much to anyone. (He had a difficult enough time admitting it to himself, never mind admitting it to someone else, even his wife and son.) After all, he was used to knowing what went on in the world around him, being in a high position in the Ministry until recently. After the…incident in the Department of Mysteries, Lucius had been thrown into Azkaban. Thankfully, he was released soon after (though he was being closely watched), and now hosting his Lord at Malfoy Manor.

The thing that had the Malfoy Lord so befuddled was the fact that he had seen _Harry Potter_ numerous times in the past few days, talking with the Dark Lord. The Potter heir, as far as the blond could tell, hadn't even been cursed. Lucius decided he would observe, rather than confront the teen like a foolish Gryffindor. If Potter was welcomed by his Lord, he didn't want to say or do something that would put him in a worse light than he already was.

A week after he first saw Potter in the manor, his Lord requested his presence. In the study the Dark Lord had claimed as his own, Potter was lounging on an armchair while behind the expensive desk sat his Lord. Lucius, after a short explanation that didn't really explain anything, was charged with training the Gryffindor Golden Boy in the art of dueling and the Dark Arts.

Lucius had wanted to decline. Surely the Light's pet Savior wouldn't _really_ wish to learn from a Death Eater, and _especially_ not Dark magic! But the blond accepted, and was proven wrong within the first day. The teen was eager to learn, and practically soaked up anything Lucius taught him. Potter wasn't as much of a dunderhead as Severus and Draco had made him out to be.

Not long after that, Lucius overheard Potter asking his Lord if he could bring his mudblood and the Weasley's terror twins (as Draco had dubbed them) to train as well. And with how the Malfoy Lord's luck seemed to be recently, of course it was him that ended up acting as a tutor in Dark magic to not just one, but _four_ formerly Light Gryffindors. It was rather insulting, but the man said nothing. He had to get back in his Lord's good graces, and if that meant putting up with Gryffindors, then so be it.

In addition to teaching the four Dark magics and how to duel, Lucius took it upon himself to teach them how to guard their thoughts and memories with Occulmency and how to think like a Slytherin. Cunning, stealth, and how to twist words so one would get their way were just a few of the things the Gryffindors learned. Despite himself, the blond found himself growing (dare he admit it?) _fond_ of the small group.

The Weasley twins were nothing like their father and mother, with an eye for sneakiness and stealth that the two had used when plotting and carrying out their pranks. (Lucius found out exactly _why_ his heir called them the Terror Twins. They would end up using any available moment to prank the closest person who had their guard down. The Malfoy Lord quickly learned to stay extra vigilant when the two would get that gleam in their eyes.) They were almost as quick to understand the theory of the magicks and the different ways to utilize them as the mudblood.

Said mudblood, Granger, while not as cunning as the twins, was quick to pick up theory and put it to action. She was intelligent and would use her brilliant mind to figure out unconventional ways to win duels. On top of that, she proved to be willing to learn the Olde Ways of Magick. When she wasn't training with Lucius, she was buried in books and tomes from his library, many of which described the various rituals used on certain days. He hadn't seen a mudblood so eager to embrace and immerse herself completely in the Magickal Ways. It was rather refreshing.

The Potter heir was just as eager to learn as the Granger girl. Lucius found it surprising that the teen slipped into a Slytherin mindset so easily, and was shocked to learn that Potter was actually _meant_ to be in the Snakes house. (Apparently, the Sorting Hat said he could fit into any house but wanted Potter in Slytherin. Potter argued with it, and ended up in Gryffindor.) Potter easily learned how to utilize the infamous Slytherin mask to hide his true feelings. (Though Lucius got the feeling that it wasn't so much _learning_ how to, but rather dusting off the ability. It made the blond wonder…)

Not even a month into training, his Lord took Potter to train the teen himself when it became obvious the boy was nearly on par with Lucius. The only other person that had been personally trained by the Dark Lord had been Bellatrix. That knowledge had Lucius praying to Magic and his patron god that Potter wouldn't turn back to Dumbledore and the Light. A wizard that had as much power as Potter had, with the training that Bellatrix had, fighting against the Dark was a rather frightening (terrifying) thought.

It was around that time Bellatrix decided she would join in on the training, and taught the three some things. Despite her obvious insanity, the woman was a surprisingly good teacher, correcting the 'apprentices' with a rather gentle hand. Lucius noticed Bella was rather attached to Granger, preferring to mentor the girl over the twins. (He thought it had something to do with Bella not being able to have children, and Granger's similarity in appearance to the insane woman.)

The Dark Lord was very pleased with the small group's progress in both the magic Lucius had been tasked with teaching them, and the mannerisms that Lord Malfoy had decided to teach them. His Lord had been especially pleased that Lucius _had_ taken it upon himself to teach them the ways of Purebloods and Slytherins. (The blond had felt his chest swell with pride at the Dark Lord's praise.)

Near the start of the school year, the Dark Lord gave Lucius' heir a job, telling Draco to seek assistance with Potter or Granger if needed. The job was primarily Draco's responsibility, though. It was as his Lord was telling Draco he had to kill Dumbledore that Potter spoke up.

It fairly shocked Draco when the former Golden Boy asked if he could be the one to kill the old headmaster. Lucius wasn't as surprised by the request, having gotten to know the teen as he trained him. No, what surprised the blond lord was the absolute anger and _hate_ with which Potter spoke.

When asked to site his reasons by the Dark Lord, Potter said, "That old man has put me through too much. I want to be the one to end his life. I want that manipulative old bastard to see that the world he worked so hard to shape is doomed. I want him to see the boy he tried to mold into a weapon is the exact opposite of what he wished me to be."

The darkness in the teen's killing curse-colored eyes sent fissions of fear through Lucius' body. The blond made a mental note to keep on his good side. He didn't want to find out what Potter would do if he wronged the teen. It was as that thought went through his head that Lucius realized that Harry Potter had truly fallen into Darkness. The Light had lost; they just didn't realize it yet.

Lucius was not quite as surprised to hear his Lord agree to Potter's request. He _was_ surprised to note the fondness with which his Lord looked at the fallen Savior. It was the same fondness with which he himself looked at Draco. Lucius quickly put all the clues together, and suddenly, the whole summer made sense. Why Potter hadn't been cursed when he first appeared in the Manor. Why his Lord wanted Potter trained. Why he eventually began training the teen himself. It appeared the Dark Lord had chosen an heir.

Lucius acknowledged this new revelation when he was dismissed with a bow to the two and a murmured, "My lords."

As he left the study, he heard Potter say, "Lucius caught on quick. Wonder if the others will accept it as easily."

The dark promise in his younger lord's voice had Lucius almost feeling sorry for any Death Eaters who tried to challenge Potter. He was sure those fools would be feeling the pain of their mistake for weeks after, if they survived.


	6. Darkness Can Show You the Light

**Disclaimer** : I own neither Harry Potter nor Heaven Nor Hell. Harry Potter and related characters belong to J. K. Rowling and Heaven Nor Hell belongs to the band Volbeat. The song used here belongs to Disturbed, it's called The Light. (I ran out of Heaven Nor Hell lyrics to use, and thought this would fit in well with this chapter.)

 **Warnings** : Dumbledore bashing, slight Ron bashing, AU, Dark Harry, Grey or Dark Hermione, mentions of child abuse, OOC characters, canon character death.

 _Hello! I apologize for the wait. My brother's fiance came out for the holidays, and I had issues getting this chapter out. Couldn't figure out how to write what I wanted to happen. Then I started school again. College. Yay._

 _ **avengingwinchesterangels** , this one's for you! To the Guest who reviewed on FFN, I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! Thanks to everyone who Fav'ed, kudos'ed, subscribed, etc._

 _Finally to **BigBooksAndAwesomeTVShows** , sorry. This got typed a bit slower than I thought, so it's a bit later than I thought it would be._

 _Hope you all enjoy! I have one last chapter written out. I don't know if I will write anything after that, though. It took me forever to figure out this chapter. :\ But I will get the next chapter out within a week. Promise.  
_

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Sometimes Darkness Can Show You the Light

 _And for what seemed an eternity  
You wait, hoping it would call out again  
You hear the shadows beckoning  
Then your fears seemed to keep you blinded  
You held your guard as you walked away_

1996, 6th year

Severus Tobias Snape was a very observant, very meticulous man. He had to be, in his profession. Potions had a tendency to blow up if he wasn't watching the students, and that particular art required exact measurements and a watchful eye. (In addition to that, he was a spy for Dumbledore while acting as a spy for the Dark Lord. It required him to watch everyone around him for any hint that his cover may be blown.) Despite how observant he was, Severus knew he could draw incorrect conclusions in some situations.

The student's first night back at Hogwarts for the 1996-97 school year only proved that. See, Severus was a naturally Dark-inclined wizard. Dark Magic just came easier to him. He was also slightly magic-sensitive; he could feel a witch or wizard's natural magical affinity. That ability helped when he helped his Snakes with their school work. Not all Slytherins were Dark. There were a handful of Light wizards in the Snake Pit, but more Grey and Dark.

Severus also found being magic-sensitive helped in determining which students would most likely be recruited by the Dark Lord. Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff were a blend of Light, Grey, and Dark wizards, though the Eagles usually had more of the Darker-inclined. The Badgers were usually equally split between the affinities, being such an accepting house. Gryffindor, however, had an overwhelming number of Light and Light-Grey magic users. The few Dark-Grey wizards went to extremes to hide the fact from his or her housemates. The Lions, Severus knew, were very prejudicial and would likely ostracize any housemate found to be of Dark affinity.

The Potions Master turned Defense professor had been aware that a few of the Light Lions had been moving more toward the Grey affinity, having noticed the subtle shift last year. He sensed, sitting at the Head Table during the Welcoming Feast, those few Grey students were now Dark, or at the _very_ least Dark-Grey. From his seat, Severus couldn't pinpoint which students had turned, but he wasn't so impatient that he couldn't wait until the classes started, when he would be much closer to the students, to find out. He didn't mention anything to the headmaster, though. If the old warlock couldn't sense such a drastic shift among his favored house's students, Severus decided he wouldn't be the one to enlighten the man.

Each class, he paid careful attention to the students' affinity as he walked among them during his lecture. He mentally noted that Lovegood had gone from a perfectly neutral Grey (so rare among wizards and witches, to have such a perfect balance of Light and Dark magic) to slightly Dark-Grey. Not much, just a little shift. The eldest Creevey boy was edging more toward Light Grey (muggleborn and muggle-raised magicals, he noticed, usually were more Grey). Smith, a 6th year Hufflepuff, was once more leaning to the Grey, having shifted slightly to Light the year prior. Each student's affinity was carefully stored in his memories so the 'Dungeon Bat' would notice any sudden shifts. (A sudden shift in affinity, especially a shift towards the Darker side of the spectrum, usually meant the witch or wizard suffered a traumatic experience. He may be seen as an evil git, but Severus hated seeing a student suffer from anything that would cause a sudden shift.)

It was during the 6th year Slytherin-Gryffindor class that Severus discovered who the two Darker signatures belonged to; Harry Potter and Hermione Granger. Surely Dumbledore would have intervened if he found out his precious weapon was going Dark? He shook the thought away and filed the information for later consideration. He needed to gather more information before he could make any sort of conclusion.

Around Christmas, Severus felt confident he had enough observations to draw at least a tentative conclusion. He sat in his rooms after dinner and nursed a glass of Ogden's finest (one of the few and rare luxuries he would allow himself) as he mentally worked through his observations.

Potter was Dark. He'd been moving down the spectrum for a few years now, so it wasn't all that surprising, despite being a surprise. Granger was, at the least, Dark-Grey. Again, not surprising; the two were as close to being siblings as one could get without being blood-related. No, what _was_ surprising was that the two Lions had spent minimal time with the two Weasleys still in Hogwarts. Severus had also seen Potter with a textbook numerous times in the library or Great Hall. If Potter wasn't reading, he was going over notes with Granger. In the past five school years, the Potions Master had _never_ seen Potter with a textbook, voluntarily studying.

It wasn't just school texts Potter read. Severus had seen the teen reading books on basically anything in the school library. There were even some books not in the library, no doubt gotten from Granger's personal library.

In addition to Potter's new study habits, the spy had noticed differences in the two Lion's behavior. Both Potter and Granger held themselves differently, more confidently. They acted more like pureblood heirs and less like muggle-raised magicals. Granger managed to tame that bushy mass she called hair, and had stopped trying to answer every Merlin-damned question in class. Potter's hair was still as messy as always (Severus figured it must be the Potter genes), but participated in class more than before.

There was also the shift in the two Lions' relationship with Severus' Snakes, primarily Draco Malfoy. The three were not quite friends, but the animosity between them had all but disappeared. That particular change caused issues with the Weasley boy, who confronted and accused Potter of "going Dark" in front of the Great Hall during dinner one evening. The Dark Lion ignored the barbs and insults, telling Weasley it was none of his business who Potter decided to speak with.

Severus had noticed Potter had not disputed the claim he was going Dark—not that the professor needed confirmation, since he already knew. Judging by the expressions most of the Slytherins had on their faces, they noticed as well. The other professors and students, however, were too focused on the change in the Golden Trio's dynamics.

Severus had decided not to confront Potter or Granger on the changes, but made sure to keep an eye on them. He also decided to keep his observations from Dumbledore. If the headmaster's lack of intervention was any indicator, Albus didn't realize just how drastic the changes in the two were.

He had noticed the male Weasley trying to get back in the good graces of the two Dark Lions about a week after the whole fiasco in front of the Great Hall. He would try to get Potter to play Wizard's Chess or Exploding Snap instead of study, or try to involve them in conversations during meals. Potter and Granger had basically begun to ignore the redhead, going about their business as if Weasley wasn't even there. Severus found it to be rather pathetic how desperately the youngest male Weasley was trying to reunite the Golden Trio.

From everything he had observed, it seemed Potter and Granger had matured and were trying to study. Potter grasped the theory behind spells better and, if Slughorn was to be believed, was improving at Potions. It was almost as if the two were trying to prepare themselves for something. Perhaps the end of the war?

It was shortly after Christmas that Severus was called by the Dark Lord. With Albus' "blessing", the Potions Master Flooed to Malfoy Manor to meet with his first master. Within fifteen minutes of being called, Severus was in the study the Dark Lord had claimed as his own, kneeling at the man's feet.

The Dark Lord made the spy stew for a few long, silent minutes, before speaking.

"Severus, are you aware that there is another loyal to me in Dumbledore's little group?"

The words, though spoken in an almost playful tone, froze Severus' blood and bones. With a bit of prodding, Severus was coerced into telling the Dark Lord who he was truly loyal to. Despite the fact that his words would probably mean his death, Severus told his lord the truth. He worked with the Light to protect Potter. He also told the Dark Lord of the vow Albus'd had him make to protect Potter.

His secret out, the probably soon-to-be-former spy waited in silence for either torture or death, head bowed and eyes on the floor under him. So certain in his death, Severus started and nearly fell over when the Dark Lord began to laugh. An honest, mirthful laugh, not the laugh Severus normally heard when the Dark Lord was torturing someone.

After he stopped laughing, the man informed the Potions Master that he was lucky certain situations had changed, or Severus would have been punished. He was invited to take a seat and offered a cup of tea, which he took. He didn't wish to insult one of the most powerful wizards in Great Britain, after all.

Severus sat in silence, sipping his tea as he listened to the Dark Lord's recounting of the summer. Apparently, the Dark Lord and Potter shared a connection of sorts, which allowed them to look into the other's mind on occasion.

Through this connection, the Dark Lord had learned more about Potter (though he never said _what_ he learned, stating it was not his story to tell. However, he _did_ say the teen had not known about magic until he got his Hogwarts letter). Somehow, 'things' turned into Potter getting "lessons" from the Dark Lord himself. If what the elder wizard said is true, Dumbledore wasn't as focused on Potter's wellbeing as Severus had thought.

On top of that, Potter was somehow made the Dark Lord's heir (likely through right of conquest, or something along those lines. Severus would have to ask Lucius to be certain. The Malfoy lord knew everything about lord- and heirships.), which would explain the changes in Potter's behavior. Severus also found out what exactly Draco's mission was. Draco had been tasked with finding a way to get Death Eaters into Hogwarts without the headmaster or other professors knowing, and Potter had asked to be the one to end Dumbledore's life.

Before Severus could do more than file all of the new information away, he was forced to vow he would not in any way communicate any of what he had learned to anyone but the Dark Lord or Potter. As soon as the vow was made, he was sent away.

Albus cornered him after he got to the gate and began to question him. Severus repeatedly told the headmaster he was unable to speak of what the Dark Lord had told him due to a vow, but the warlock was relentless. The Potions Master finally got fed up with the unending questions and whirled around to face the headmaster with a dark look on his face.

"I swear upon my magic that I am unable to speak of what the Dark Lord wanted due to an Unbreakable Vow. So mote it be." Severus practically snarled the words. As soon as the magic took hold, he cast a quick _Lumos_. "Now, if I may retire for the rest of the evening, I still have some essays to grade."

The headmaster reluctantly allowed Severus to leave. Most of the remaining days of the winter holiday were spent going over everything he had learned in his talk with the Dark Lord, matching it up with his observations from the past few months. With one conversation, everything had been shaken up drastically.

Potter wasn't being trained by Albus to end the war. If anyone was training the Lion, it was the Dark Lord. (What a terrifying thought that was. After all, Bellatrix had been trained by the Dark Lord as well, and as far as Severus knew, the only one who had been able to survive a no-holds-barred duel with her was Moody.)

A day before the students were due back at Hogwarts, Severus requested Potter join him for tea. Despite how they had gotten along previously (meaning, not at all), Potter accepted. The walk to his office was silent but for the sound of their footsteps. Once in the office, Severus had a house elf bring a tray of tea and biscuits.

Finally, after tea was served and Potter was settled in a seat, Severus began questioning him. Why would the teen join the man who had killed his parents? Why would he throw away Lily's sacrifice like that?

"Would I be correct in assuming you spoke with Voldemort then, Professor?"

Severus nodded, to which Potter sighed and set his tea cup on the desk before he began his own tale. He began with 4th year, before the Goblet of Fire spit his name out, how he told one of his only friends a very large secret. Potter didn't state specifics, only that his home wasn't very loving. (Severus wanted to scoff, or demand more information. Instead, he held back and listened, filing everything away.) Then the summer after that, Potter began studying more magic. Black even began helping, teaching him Dark spells and curses the animagus had learned during his childhood. He told how during 5th year he kept getting detentions with Umbridge, and visions from the Dark Lord. He spoke of losing his godfather, and how he figured out Dumbledore was meddling in his life.

Potter ended his tale with, "I suppose Voldemort tapped into our connection and heard me ranting one day, because then he's offering to give me proper training. Lord Malfoy was the one who began training the Twins, Hermione, and me before Voldemort took over my training. When I heard what he was going to have Draco do, I took the opportunity to ask to be the one to end that meddling old goat's life."

Severus accepted it, and the two finished their tea in a slightly less tension-filled silence. When Potter left, the spy wrote a letter to the Dark Lord, offering a renewal of his vow of loyalty. After all, the one who he was supposed to protect (as per the vow Dumbledore made him make) was working with the Dark Lord. Working with the Light would work against that vow.

Maybe things will change, with Potter around.

* * *

 _The reason I used this particular verse from the song is 'cause I feel Severus kinda wants to go back to the Dark (if only because that's the magic he's most comfortable with), but he can't turn his back on Lily._


	7. And For a Moment I Don't Even Care

Written Dec. 10, 2015

Disclaimer: I own neither Harry Potter nor Heaven Nor Hell. Harry Potter and related characters belong to J. K. Rowling and Heaven Nor Hell belongs to the band Volbeat.

Warnings: Dumbledore bashing, slight Ron bashing, AU, Dark Harry, Grey or Dark Hermione, mentions of child abuse, OOC characters, canon character death.

Oh my god, I'm so sorry. Life caught up with me, and I've been trying to deal with it. I've had this sitting in my notebook for AGES. But I finally got it out. This might be the last chapter, because I am afraid of attempting Voldemort's POV, or Harry's. But we'll see. As of right now, however, I'm going to say this is finished.

 **Harry is really OOC here.** Or at least I feel he is. But he's been taught by the Dark Lord himself. So I am gonna pin the blame on that. And this chapter has more dialogue than the previous ones. I've taken things that were most common in Dark Harry fics and put them here. There are many cliches, and I apologize for that, but I couldn't help myself. u.u

I would like to thank everyone who has checked out this story on AO3 and FFN. A total of 94 Kudos, 29 bookmarks, 2098 hits, and 20 comments as of 11:19 am (US Central) on 4/4/16 on AO3, and 24 favorites, 6 reviews, 2721 views, and 46 followers on FFN. It makes me really happy to know this hasn't been a complete flop.

If you ever want to talk about it, my inbox at my tumblr (sarahnightwriter) is always open. And of course on both FFN and AO3.

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And For a Moment I Don't Even Care

 _And for a moment I don't even care  
Until I feel his breath at my neck  
And maybe even you can feel it too  
He's on a strike and looking at you_

1996, June 30

For the second time in all his 116 years, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was feeling despair and fear. (The first time was when he lost his younger sister, Ariana.) As he stood there surrounded by Tom's elite, he tried to figure out just how he had missed his weapon turning to the Dark. There had been no hint, as far as he knew. Albus had spent several hours with Harry, showing the boy Tom's past so Harry would be able to end the Dark Lord's reign of terror for good. Not _once_ had he seen any sign that Harry had gone Dark. Not once had he heard any whisper of deceit when he scanned the boy's thoughts.

That wasn't entirely true, Albus admitted. He had noticed the boy's aura was darker last year. He had noticed, but passed it off as an effect of the Dark ritual and watching a schoolmate get murdered. Perhaps he should have paid more attention.

A dark chuckle brought the Light Lord out of his almost frantic thoughts.

"Trying to figure out where you went wrong, Headmaster?"

The dark tone sent a thrill of fear down the warlock's spine. He never thought he would hear that tone from the boy.

"Harry, my boy, what are you doing? Those people are why Neville lives with his grandmother. They have killed-"

"Yes, yes, I know the spiel," Harry cut in, waving his hand negligently. "They're Dark, they're killers and torturers. Blah, blah, blah. Please, I already know. I know exactly what these people are capable of."

"Then why are you just standing there? Why are you not getting help?" It was a last-ditch effort to try to get his weapon to turn back to the Light.

"Surely you're not _that_ daft, Headmaster," Harry stated, tone mocking. "Surely you've figured it out already. I'm not your weapon any longer, Albus. I won't just lie down and let others order me around. I've done enough of that with the Dursley's.

"No, I've decided to do what _I_ want. I would have stayed on your side, had I not seen Moody throw the spell that sent Sirius into the Veil. Didn't know I saw that, did you?" Harry chuckled at the horrified look on the old wizard's face. "Yeah, that was the straw that broke the camel's back, as the muggles say. Well, that, and finding out you expected me to die to bring down Voldemort. I might have done it, if Sirius hadn't told me about the Prophesy.

"Sirius told me a lot of things, actually. Like how you're the head of the Wizengamot and could have ordered a trial when you found out Sirius was put into Azkaban without one. How you were the one to cast the Fidelus, and knew Pettigrew was the Secret Keeper." The teen scoffed, twirling his wand.

"Little Lord, we haven't got all night," one of the Death Eaters said, bowing slightly to the student.

"I know, I'm almost done," Harry nodded. "I just want the old fool to realize just how bad he screwed up." A grin curled his lips, and Albus felt his heart sink ever deeper into despair.

' _This wasn't how it was supposed to be…'_

"You know, Albus, I think the worst was when Sirius told me I was never supposed to go to Petunia's. It was stated in my parent's wills that never was I supposed to go to Petunia Dursley. When I went to the goblins this past summer, they informed me my parent's wills were never read, because they had been sealed by order of the head of the ICW." The green-eyed teen's expression had steadily darkened as he spoke.

"Not to mention you stealing from my vaults, you paying Vernon to abuse me— _with my own money_ —the lack of actual protective wards around the Dursley's house, the mail redirection ward on me, the numerous blocks on my magic, the compulsions… It's a wonder what one can find out from those greedy creatures, if you can pay the price.

"Finding all of that out, is it really surprising I turned to Voldemort? He, at least, lets it be known when he's using someone."

All through Harry's monologue, Albus found himself stunned into silence. He couldn't find his voice; his mouth moved, but no sound left him. Everything was falling apart. All of his plans had amounted to nothing. The Light had lost their weapon. All was lost.

"Before you die, I want you to know just one more thing. Voldemort and I found out about the shard I hold." Harry laughed at the startled look on the Headmaster's face. "Yes. He wouldn't kill me now that he knows."

There was the sound of someone running up the astronomy tower stairs.

"Well, it looks like our time here is up. It was a nice talk, Albus, but I fear we must go. Enjoy the afterlife!"

Blue skies stared hard into emerald grass, trying to find the boy he had mentored and carefully molded. The wizened wizard could find nothing, and bowed his head, accepting his fate. He had failed the world.

With a cackle, and a flash of bright green light, Albus Dumbledore knew no more.


End file.
